The Era of American Humility

The last decade had to be one of the worst decades in American History. It began with September 11, 2001, and it ended with the worst recession in our nation's history since The Great Depression. For the majority of the last 10 years, America was under the control of an opaque Administration that used questionable and possibly Unconstitutional methods to "protect" it, all while destroying America's image internationally. Things were bad. America, be it the government or the people who elected it, decided to make the first decade of the new Millennium one of bridge burning, and destructive decisions that would take much longer than 10 years to undo. And now, on the first week of a new decade, we are left with the rubble. So what is there to do? We must make this new decade into the complete opposite of the last. America must stand for Peace and Diplomacy rather than War and Invasion. We must recognize the World Community, join it, and work with other Nations, instead of rejecting the concept of Foreign Policy. We have to begin a new Era of American Humility.

When President Obama met with the Emperor of Japan last year, he bowed down in respect, and the media went wild.



This was considered a sign of weakness and shame to a lot of Americans. The President of the United States should never bow to anyone, said many pundits. How can we demand respect from other nations if we are not willing to respect them back? How could we ever work together with other nations on making the world a safer, cleaner place if we don't come to the table with humility? We need to stop viewing humility as a sign of weakness, but as a virtue. The reason why President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize is because he ran his campaign with a message of humility and hope, rather than power, force, and fear. The reason he won is because he actually showed the International Community that America wanted change, and that America would change. This recent terror plot on Christmas Day shows that we cannot keep America safe by ourselves. We cannot reverse the effects of Global Warming by ourselves. We need help, a lot of it. And it's in every country's interest to help us, to help each other, to help themselves. We could lead a movement of International cooperation. That is diplomacy. That is what we are suppose to be the best at.

Big Stick Diplomacy has been America's unofficial policy since the early 1900s. "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" is a quote credited to President Theodore Roosevelt, and it's taught in every High School American History Class. It's that big stick that has damned America in the eyes of the world. It's that Mafia-like method of sweet-talking while holding a person hostage that makes America look arrogant and dangerous. It puts America on the dark side morally, no matter how hard we tout that we are a force for good. It doesn't matter how softly you speak, as long as you're holding on to that stick, with the intent to use it. The longer we hang on to that stick, the more people will try to take it away from us by force. The more we continue to use brute force, the more brute force will be used against us. We need to drop the stick act. That doesn't mean America has to literally drop our guard, but we must figuratively do so. We must prove to the world that the soft spoken words are true and meaningful, rather than just a formality or precursor to attack. We have to give the stick a rest and let our genuine desire to help come through. That is the best policy of homeland security. That's the only way we can ever achieve long-term security and peace.

On that note, let me end this entry with a quick note about this blog. This has been my first update in several months, and for that, I apologize. Starting this year, I will try my hardest to consistently update this blog. Every week, I will round up the headlines and write short opinion pieces on a few interesting events. Whenever something big happens, I will then write a Special Comment entry about it. Whoever you are out there, reading this, I hope this blog makes you think, or at least make you pause. There are so many sides to everything, and it's my honest belief that if you choose respect, humility, and understanding, you will always be on the right side.

Thanks, and Happy New Year.
Andre